Cloth expander



Patented Sept. 7, 19226.

UNITED STA r res PATENT o Fripes.

FnnDEnIcKrENEDIcT VOEGELL or EASTON, PENNsYLvANIA.

cLo'rH EXPANDER,

- Appncation'elea october es, .1925. e serial No. 65,337.

The present invention relates to cloth expanders, such `as are used for stretching y-fcloth in theprocess of Vfinishing, coating, or the like, so as toV eliminate the wrinkles in the clothwhen'it passes into the machine before which the expander is placed or for stretching thev clothv when mercerizing 'same or otherwise inishin'g or operating on4 the cloth, Vthe 'presentexpander being an imv .provement ojver lthe cloth expander 'disclosed in my copending ,application SerialNe. 751,135, filed NovQO, 1924. (now Patent No. 1,569,343, granted Jan. 12, 1926),. Y

It is :an object-of the invention to provide an improved Cloth-i` expander constituting 'a curved roller composed of a,A plurality of roller membersjand a rubber or., similar cover thereon,- so that the vroller will have a continuous unbroken Contact with the-cloth from. edge tov edge, in order thatrthe stretchingor expandingaction will beuniform, as Vwell as avoiding breaks or joints inl .the yexpander at, its periphery.

, A `further object is .the .provision of such4 an expander having roller members or secligure l` isaplan view of the improved expander, portions belngrbroken away -and shown in'section. f

lFig. 2 is an enlarged .end view ofone off the roller members or sectionsl showing they rod and cover in cross section.

t Fig.V Slis an enlarged longitudinal section ot Lay fragmentary` portion of V,the lexpander illustrating a ball bearing mounting. u

The expander comprises, a curved non-y rotatable rod or, shaft 7 held at its ends in suitable supports (not shown) similar to ordinary expanders, and roller jmembers or `sectionsS are rotatable on the 1rod7, being n "disposed end to end;` Themembers 8 may be cast fromaluminumlor other suitable metal or alloy,y and' constitute sleeves surrounding members rotate y, rod 7 members orV sleeves 8v are relatively thin at of larger'diameterthan the rod 7 .j i I ,theirend portions, and are thickened inter-v nally, *asl at l9, between their ends to .receive .plain Abearingsor bushings 10,` ywhich are jforced yor driventightly into vthe thickened' ,Y ,I portions A9 sov as'to, be held therein .by fric'- v tion. AThe `bushings 10 turnl looselyon .the rod4 7, and said rod being vcurved will' position the members 8 vat yobtuse angles :with i one. another. i at their ends @with interengaging iclutch teeth or lugsll', theteeth or'lugsyof'each member extending -betweel'r the adjacent as a-unit, and the teeth o r-lugs apart slightly so as'to permit of slight rel,-

ative movements 'of the teeth or lugs as the e .about-,curved axis Vof the tubular.` cover 1Q of rubber'br other. flexible resilient' material is disposed Onthe roller members, providing a curved roller which rotates around'the arcuate rod 7` with -'l`he`membersj8 are provided` 'v `7e teeth, cnlugso-fthe `companion members,;in .orderthat all of the members 8 will-:rotate are spaced the periphery of the roller unbroken from I .one endthereof tothe other, so 'as to present a continuous line of rconta-ct With thek cloth from one edgefof-the cloth tothe other, edge. The cover y12may be kof any suitable thick-` ness and will bend loryield to conform to l .the curvaturey ofthe rod 7 v as the roller `roltates. vThe members 8 have dove-tailedfrel vcesses or:` openings 18 between their ends and .extendingmlntof the thickened portions; 9,

and the cover l'has the dove-tailedplugs or studs 14C within the recesses or socketsv 13 so as tovanchor the cover on themembers 8. The cover 12 is iitted loosely on the mem-- bers 81 excepting between the ends of -said members or at the anchor, portions "14e,

thereby permitting greatertreedoniinthe stretchingand Ycompression yof the'co'ver 12 on the vend lportions of lsaid-members when the expander is rotated on the rod V7. j The cover is ,secured on the members 8 between .the ends of' said members so as' to rotate therewith,f and toprevent the cover from. being bodily displaceldrelatively to or shiited `onsad members, but the lcover may spring longitudinally-on .the end portions ot said vmembers to tacilitate flexing of .the cover. n y The cover 12'mayl be jprovided-.on the members 8 in'anyf-suitable manner. For example, the members 84 maybe `positioned on `desiredto vulcaniz'e the rubber. .may also 'be producedaby placing the mema straight rod and sheets` or layers of unvulcanized rubber or similarmaterial may be placed around' the members 8 to build up the cover to the desired thickness. Then, the sheets or layers may be vulcanized togetherinto an integral mass, and Apressure is applied in order to force the material into the recesses 13 so as to anchor or secure'the cover on said members. The pressure may be applied by any Ssuitablenneans, such as a mold enclosing the cover and designed to apply pressure, ,as well as heat when it is The cover maythenb'e slipped on the four-'ved rod '7.

.The'peripher-y o f'the lcover may beY smooth 'ormay be -roughened in (nyv suitable manner' according tothe grip desired on the cloth. Y

In ord'er to4 prevent the cover lfrom ladhering yto the members 8 excepting 'in the recessesl, the surfaces of said members may loe-coated withpowder or other material beforev the cover lis molded onsaid mem-- bers. Also, to prevent the material of the cover being forcedv inwardly between' ythe ends ofA the' members 8, sleeves 15 -of paper or` Iother material capable of tearing or breaking are yplaced V'on the members 8 rover the end portions and spaces or 'slots 'between them, thereby' preventing 'the rubber or lothe'r .material kfrom being forced between the endsof the members 8.' Then, afterthe cover l2 has been set and the expander removed from the straight rod, the expander is bent so as to break the sleevesl between the ends of themembers 8.'

The expander is used in the same manner and in the same arrangements as the expanders of the prior' art, and may -also be used for paper and other fibrous sheets, as well' as for cloth. The expander may be used singly or in groups, as well known in the art, and the `expander may rotate freely vvor may bev driven by power.v Two or more of the expanders may also be associated for squeezing the cloth between them as well as xpanding .oristretching the cloth. it is also possible to 4inject lubricantvr within the roller or expander to lubricate the bearings or bushings l without the possibility of the lubricant lescaping andA soiling the cloth, inasmuch asthe oil'o'r lubricant is retained within the cover l2 and can not escape from between the' members 8. By anchoringV the Flexible resilient cover on the members 8, the expander can'be used for` `practically every tured and each of them has but a single` bearing between its ends, thus providing a Asimple and .practical 'construction'.y rlhe thickened portion 9 of each lmember Sfnot only accommodates the bushing or bearing l0 but also enables the recesses 18 to 'be deeper 'than .those portions ofthe members :8 beyond the portion9,thus effecting vfa' saving in material, Aand enabling ythe members 8 to be vof light weight.

Fig. 8 illustrates the v,use ofva bafll bearing comprising fa collar-16 fitted within the thickened portion `9 of the member 8', and

supportingrod, said collar" sleeve lhav- 'ing'the `ballra'ces 18 in which -the'anti-f-rictional balls -19 roll.v Theportion Y9" 'has a shoulder or stop QO-a'ga'inst which the col'- la'r y16 seats, and at the opposite side of the kcollar jhas an annular `groove 2l in which a removable spring'fring 23 is seated 'to retain the collar in place, saidV collar beingre movable when :the ring 23 is removed` from the groove 2l. Thus, the sleeve 17 may fit non-rotatably on the rod, vandthe vCollar 16 will rotatefwfith'the member 8" around said sleeve with Vminimum friction.

VI-l'a'v'ingftlius described theinvention, what 'is' claimed aslnew is l. A clothV expander 'comprising av curved rod, sleeves surrounding said rod and hav- 'ing internal thickened portions between their ends, bearings 'fitted Vin Ysaid portions and on said rod, said sleeves' having recesses vin their'outer per-ipher-i'es extending into said thickened portions, and a flexible cover molded on said lsleeves rand having 'portions `Vanchored' in saidy recesses.

2. A'c'loth expander section 'comprising a sleeve having an Vinternal thickened portion between its ends and a bearing fitted in' said portion to be disposed on a curved rod,

said sleeve having recesses in" its out'er'periphery extending into said thickened porvnr tion for the engagement of -alcove'r disposed on salidsleeve. Y

3. A cloth lexpander comprisingv rotatably mounted roller members to be Vdisposed along a curved line, and a coverV of flexible material on said i'nen'ibersand` anchored to said members between the -ends of ksaid members, the cover being loose on the end portions of 'said members.

4l. A clothex'pander comprisingl ac'urved rod, rollermembers rotatable thereon, and a' tubularl cover of vflexible material on s'a'id members land anclioredto said Amembers between the ends of said members, said cover lll) a curved line and having recesses between their ends, and a cover on saidl members having' portions anchored in said recesses,

' -the cover being loose on the end portonsof 'said members.

V10 6 A cloth expander comprising a curved rod,l rollervmembers rotatable thereon andiv having recesses vbetween their ends, and a tubularrubber cover mounted on said members and havngportons anchored in said recesses, lsaid Cover being portions of said members.

signature.

FREDERICK BENEDICT VOEGELI. n

loose `on the end lo' In testimony whereof I hereunto valix my 

